Safe and Sound
by Oncer15
Summary: When Dick is in car accident, resulting in multiple soft tissue injuries in both legs and his left arm, Bruce hires Sophia to help him. He resists her and she doesn't know exactly why she is there. But, as major secrets are revealed, they just might be what the other needs to help them survive their pain. Dick/OC. Rated T for language. RATING MIGHT GO UP IN THE FUTURE.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

 **Hello everyone and welcome to my new story Safe and Sound! I just have a few important things to say before you start reading.**

 **This story is based on the novel** _ **Me Before You**_ **by Jojo Moyes. It will start off being very similar to the book, and will have moments of similarity in later chapters, but will start to go more its own way in chapter 5.**

 **Secondly, this is not intentionally based on/inspired by the song Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift. To be honest, I have only heard the song once. I just liked the title and felt that it fit with the story.**

 **The story is centered around Dick Grayson and my OC, but members of the Young Justice team and the Justice League do make some fairly important appearances, which is why I decided to put it under this category. It takes place 5 years after season 2 and is an AU where Wally is still alive and an active member of the team.**

 **Also, I apologize for characters being out-of-character.**

 **This is also my first time writing in the third person, so I'm sorry if it's a little shaky while I'm getting used to it.**

 **I did quite a bit of research in preparation for this story, but I'm sorry if there is anything that is medically inaccurate.**

 **I do not own** _ **Me Before You**_ **or any of the DC characters that will appear. They all belong to their respective owners.**

 **Reviews are always welcome!**

* * *

Prologue

He winces as the engine roars to life far louder than he can handle at the moment. Dick knows that driving in his current condition isn't the best idea but, with Tim at the Watchtower and Alfred and Bruce otherwise occupied, he doesn't have much of a choice.

 _Focus Dick. You're just going to the office. It's not that far of a drive. Just stay calm and you'll be fine_. He repeats the words on a continuous loop to calm his nerves.

Once he is on the main road, knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel so tightly, he wonders if maybe he should have stayed home. After all, there isn't anything extremely important to do today. Just the average, monotonous paper work. He could have easily taken the day-off, allowing him to reduce his stress and catch up on the sleep he knows he needs. But, then again, Dick wouldn't be Dick if he took the day-off because of a headache.

When he is about half-way to Wayne Enterprises, he begins to relax. After the light he is stopped at turns green, he continues driving, slightly more cautiously than he typically would, just to be on the safe side. He realizes that he is worrying for nothing. As the first Robin, and now as Nightwing, he has been under far more dangerous situations in far worse conditions than he is in now. All of the stress he has been under lately is just starting to get to him. He just needs to get to his destination and retreat to his office in tow with no less than three cups of coffee. _You're almost there_ , he tells himself. _You're going to be fine._

However, as he is approaching the next intersection, the feeling he gets when something bad is about to happen ignites in his belly. He tenses up for a moment, but then tries to push the feeling away. He tries to reassure himself, thinking that nothing bad happens this early in the morning. But then he remembers that this is Gotham City and, as the adopted son of the Batman, he should know better. It is never too early for bad things to happen in Gotham.

At the same moment as this thought passes through his mind, he hears the screeching of tires, a sound that is all too familiar from his night job. He looks up towards the sound and realizes that the car responsible is headed directly for him. Even worse, there is nothing he can do to get out of the way. He is just starting to bring his foot down on the brake when the moment of impact hits and he is thrust, full-force, into dark oblivion.


	2. Chapter 1

One Year Later

She is walking down the street, dragging her feet due to a lack of sleep, to her least favorite place in the world: the unemployment office. It is not that she goes there often, for this is her first time there, but it is what the place represents that makes her want to crawl back into bed. Instability. Desperation. Fear. Shame.

Sophia knows that she has no reason to feel ashamed. After all, it isn't her fault that she just lost the greatest job in the world. But she feels shame anyway. At only 21 years old, she is the sole provider for her household. Her family counts on her to keep them afloat and, knowing that they are now in a fragile state, though at no fault of her own, makes her feel extremely guilty.

She had been working there since she was sixteen years old and she loved it. It was small family diner in the heart of downtown Gotham. It had become one of her greatest joys in life to go from being outside, where it is always loud and always busy, to inside the quiet, homey little diner. She loved seeing all the different types of customers that each day would bring. The business men from out-of-town that admired the opportunity to have a home-cooked meal, even though they were so far away from home. The families with small children, whose eyes always lit up at seeing the mountain of whipped cream on top of their hot chocolate. Hot cocoa came with whipped cream, no matter who ordered it, but Sophia always made sure to put extra on top for the little ones. And then there were the regulars, like Kevin, a school teacher who always came in for coffee, toast, and eggs before work. One of her favorite parts of the job was chatting with him and all the other frequent customers, learning all of the new things going on in their lives. It also made her feel good about herself knowing that she always had their orders submitted moments after they walked in the door. It isn't the job she always dreamed of having, but she loved it there and was content working there for as long as she could.

Unfortunately, things in Gotham rarely go according to plan. She was awoken at one in the morning, hence her exhaustion, by a phone call from the diner's owner, Helen. She and her husband, Irving, are a sweet old couple that opened the diner almost 30 years ago. They were very kind to her when she was looking for a job and hired her immediately upon hearing about her family situation. Many would have considered them to be just her employers, but she considered them family.

Helen sounded so frantic over the phone that, at first, Sophia thought something happened to Irving. But she and her husband were fine, in the physical sense, at least. The Joker had been out for another night of terror, they told her, Joker-gassing innocent night owls and randomly selecting various buildings to set on fire. One of the victims of his latest escapade was the little diner that all three held so close to their hearts. She said they would do everything they could to help her through this time, but Sophia assured them that she would be fine, that they have more important things to worry about.

So now, because of the Joker's "fun and games", she is now sitting in the unemployment office with Joey, trying to find work. Joey was another regular customer, who came in three to four times a week for dinner after work. She always thought that he was a great person for helping people find jobs. Part of her is thankful that he is the one helping her, for it is nice to see a familiar, friendly face, given her circumstances. But the other part of her thinks it makes her situation even more awkward. He is trying to help her the best he can and, she knows he is trying hard not to, but he can't help but throw her looks of pity. He knows how much she loved working at the diner and how much she needs the money, so it's hard not to feel bad for her.

"I'm sorry Sophia. I'm doing the best I can, but there isn't much work available for people with no skills." Sophia initially worked at the diner part-time, but once she turned eighteen and graduated from high school, she immediately started working full-time. She couldn't, and still can't, afford to go to college, so she is stuck with only her high school diploma and limited skills as a diner waitress.

"Please Joey, I'll take anything."

"Well, there are some clubs looking for pole dancers, if you want to try your hand at that."

"Joey, be serious."

"I am being serious."

"Let me rephrase: I'll take anything _other_ than pole dancing or anything else involving sexual undertones. Aren't there any diners or cafes hiring."

"Not around here. There are a few, but I'm afraid the closest one is over half an hour away. I doubt you'll want to travel that far for work." As Joey continues looking through the database, Sophia leans back in her chair feeling dejected. Although it is too early to assume the worst, she already fears that she may need to file for unemployment benefits, which is something that she _really_ does not want to do. As it is, she feels uncomfortable with all of the money that her family already gets from the government. It would make her feel even worse to have to get more. Just as she is beginning to feel hopeless, Joey perks up in his chair.

"I may have found something for you." She leans forward in anticipation.

"What is it?"

"There's a position open for a caregiver." She is not sure what she was expecting him to say, but that definitely was not it. Despite her best efforts, she cannot prevent a grimace from forming on her face.

"You mean like for old people. Don't get me wrong, I love the elderly, but I don't know how I feel about having to work that closely with them on a daily basis. And besides, wouldn't I need medical training for something like that?"

"Not for this. And I'm not sure if you would be caring for an old person or not. The advertisement is really vague."

"Well, who had it put up?"

"Bruce Wayne."

"Bruce Wayne? You mean the billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne? Why would he need a caregiver?"

"I'm not sure. Like I said, the ad doesn't give away many details. All it says is that he's looking for a caregiver in the form of a private position in his home. He lives about fifteen minutes from you, so you wouldn't have to travel far. It says you wouldn't have to do anything medical and that no skills are required. Right up your alley! And it pays four figures a _week_." Joey's big smile, as nice as it is, is not able to make her confused and astonished expression disappear.

"Hold on a second. _Four figures_? What kind of caregiver could he possibly be looking for if he's willing to pay that much money to someone with no skills?"

"He's rich Sophia. He's allowed to pay his workers obscene amounts of money. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the janitors at Wayne Enterprises earn more than you did at the diner." She shoots him a glare.

"That's not helping."

"I'm sorry. Look, I know that it's a very ambiguous offer, but, he probably doesn't want this to leak out to the general public. Rich people can be really protective of their privacies, especially when it has to do with something delicate like this. And besides, that's what interviews are for." He pauses to gauge her expression, which remains unconvinced and frustrated. He sighs.

"Listen, I'm not here to tell you what you should do with your life, but this is what I think you should do. I can get you an interview as we speak. Just go to the interview, learn more about the position, hear what he has to say and, if you're really unhappy with what you hear, then you can always come back and we can look for something else. I really think you should give this a chance. If nothing else, it pays extremely well. And, you don't need me to tell you how much you need the money."

She wants to argue with him. To tell him that he has no idea what he is talking about and that she is not qualified to be caregiver, no matter why Bruce Wayne needs one. But then, she remembers the thing that is most important right now. She _really_ needs the money. Her family would never forgive her if she did not at least explore the opportunity.

"Alright. I'll give it a shot."

She leaves the office with a late afternoon interview with Bruce Wayne for the next day. As she makes her way home, she hopes that, for her family's sake, her fears and uncertainties about the job will be proven unnecessary.


	3. Chapter 2

**I'm so sorry this chapter has taken so long to post. When I'm home from college, my goal is usually to get a new chapter up every two to three days, but I have had a lot going on the past few weeks. I've also had a case of writer's block. I hope this was worth the wait! I will try my best to stick to my ideal update schedule from this point forward.**

* * *

The next day at a quarter to four, Sophia is making her way into the Wayne Enterprises building for her interview with Bruce Wayne. As she walks through the front door, she cannot hide her astonishment. Despite living in Gotham City her whole life, she has never been given a reason to go into such a big and lavish building until now. The ground floor alone has to be at least four times as big as her apartment. There are high-class furnishings and decorations everywhere, not to mention the fact that the place looks spotless. As she continues her assessment of the building, Joey's comment from the day before flashes in her mind. At the time, she found it annoying, but now she can see that he was most likely right, even though he was only kidding. The custodial staff here probably do make more than she made at the diner. After all, she can only imagine what a task it would be to keep a place this big looking this clean on a daily basis.

After she gives the secretary her name and purpose for being there, she is directed to the elevator and to go up to the top floor. When she enters the elevator, she is glad that there is no one else there because her jaw actually drops. Even the elevator is nicer than her apartment! She predicts that you could fit two king-sized beds in it, whereas she can just barely fit a twin-sized bed and a dresser in her bedroom.

As she is waiting to reach the top floor, she begins to daydream about how nice it must be to be as rich as someone like Bruce Wayne. To never have to worry about money and to be able to easily buy the things you want, instead of scrambling to pay for the things you need.

When she reaches her floor, there is an assistant waiting to bring her to Bruce Wayne's office. The nerves she had managed to suppress all day finally begin to rise to the surface. This is her first time going on a proper interview and, considering what this job could mean for her family, the last thing she wants to do is mess it up. When she applied to work at the diner, her "interview" was really more of a relaxed conversation over coffee and Helen's famous chocolate chip cookies. She was nervous going into the encounter, but she very quickly relaxed, realizing immediately what sweet people Helen and Irving were. Today, however, is different. She has no idea what Bruce Wayne will be like. Given what she has heard about his playboy reputation, she knows he must be incredibly charming, but she cannot even begin to imagine what he is like professionally.

The assistant knocks on his office door and, after hearing his reply of approval, she opens the door and motions for Sophia to enter. To her surprise, when she walks into the office, he is making his way to the door, already prepared to shake her hand, instead of sitting at his desk, like she anticipated.

"Miss. Anderson, I'm Bruce Wayne. It's nice to meet you."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wayne."

"Please, have a seat," he says as he directs her towards the chair in front of his desk. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"No, thank you." After she sits down, she begins to pick at the fabric of her skirt, feeling extremely nervous. She was not prepared for how much of an unnerving presence he is. As far as his looks go, he definitely lives up to his reputation but, if she was not wearing her heels, he would be towering at least eight inches over her. His eyes are the shade of blue that would make anyone feel at ease, but the fiery look of seriousness and professionalism behind them make her feel anything but at ease.

"Now, Sophia – may I call you Sophia?"

"Of course."

"Tell me a little bit about your previous employment." She releases a silent sigh of relief. Anticipating that this would be one of his first questions, she spent the whole morning rehearsing her answers, just to make sure that she would make a good first impression.

"For the last five years or so, I worked as a waitress at this little diner called Helen's Place in downtown Gotham."

"And why are you no longer there now?" This question takes her off guard. Given the reason for its destruction, it had been all over the morning news. She assumed that he must have heard about what happened, at least in passing.

"Well, unfortunately, a couple of nights ago, the Joker destroyed the building." A look of recognition crosses his face before it is quickly replaced with sympathy. She is not sure if what she sees next is real, or if her nerves are playing with her mind, but she thinks she briefly sees guilt in his eyes. She does not see any reason why he should feel guilty for her plight, but she quickly dismisses the thought from her mind as he begins to speak again.

"That's right, I remember that now. I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thank you."

"Now, to the task at hand. Do you have any experience with people in wheelchairs?"

"A little bit. I have a few relatives that are wheelchair bound." She resists going into too much detail, feeling more self-conscious than she should, and is thankful when he does not inquire any further into the matter.

"Excellent. Now, I'm sure you're wondering who you would be taking care of?" He waits for her to nod before continuing. "About a year ago, my son Richard, or Dick, as we call him, was in a car accident. He sustained multiple bone fractures, as well as severe tears and contusions to his soft tissues in both arms and legs. He has been through multiple surgeries, where they repaired all that they could. All of his injuries have healed, and he is in physical therapy to regain strength in his limbs. For the time being, he is in motorized wheelchair, as he only has movement in his fingers."

At first, Sophia is unsure of what to say. It is a lot of information to process and, after a few moments of silence, she asks the only thing she can think of.

"Will he be able to walk again?"

"It will take time, but with therapy, he will." As Mr. Wayne turns to his desk to pull out a piece of paper, Sophia lets out a breath she did not know she was holding. She is happy that he will be able to get his life back to what it was before, but she cannot help the small sense of envy she feels rise within her. _I guess some people are just luckier than others_ , she thinks.

"Now, you won't need to do anything medical. We already have someone for that. You would mostly be there to help Dick with things when the rest of us aren't available. My other son, Tim, is a student at Gotham University and I'm here during the day. My butler, Alfred, is in the house most of the day, but he has a lot of other things to do and can't be at his beck and call all the time." He pauses to take a breath before continuing. "You see, before the accident, Dick was a very active person, and he's feeling a bit depressed now that his mobility is so limited. What I would really need you to do, more than anything else, is try to keep his spirits up."

"So, you don't need a caregiver, as much as you need a companion?"

"Exactly. You wouldn't have to dress professionally if you would prefer not to. Casual dress is fine. And, I would recommend you bring something with you to do every day." She cocks her head in confusion, but he starts speaking again before she can say anything. "Dick might not need you all the time and I wouldn't want you getting bored." She wants to question him on this, but something is holding her back, so she decides to say nothing. Her confusion about this point, however, is completely blown away by what he says next.

"How soon can you start?" She pauses for a few moments, stunned by his sudden offer, before she finally finds her words.

"Immediately."

"As in tomorrow?"

"Yes." He gives her an encouraging nod, before pushing the piece of paper towards her. Her contract. She reads through it quickly and then signs her name at the bottom, not finding anything she objects to. As she passes it back to Mr. Wayne, he hands her his business card and a small piece of paper with an address.

"Do you have a car?"

"Yes."

"Here is our address. You'll be working from 8-5 during the week. I'll make sure Alfred has the money ready to give you before you leave at the end of each week. Like I said before, Alfred will be in the house most of the day and should be able to help you with anything you will need. We'll mostly see each other in passing at the beginning and end of each day, so if you need anything from me specifically, you also have my contact information. Even if it's during the weekend, if you have any concerns, feel free to contact me."

Now, they are both standing and prepared to shake hands once again. Being offered the job on the spot has left her speechless, so she forces her manners out to prevent her from looking stupid.

"Thank you so much Mr. Wayne."

"Please, call me Bruce." He offers a small, charming smile before escorting her out of his office and to the elevator to send her back downstairs.

"We'll see you tomorrow at eight." She returns his smile and watches him head back to his office as the elevator doors begin to close.

As the elevator begins to descend, she leans her head against the wall behind her and lets out a sigh, relieved that her family will not have to be in a financial rut for as long as she feared.

* * *

Later that night, as their mother sleeps in the next room, Sophia sits on her bed and tells her older sister about her new job.

"It's so strange Bianca. I don't understand why he would pay _that_ much money for a companion."

"He's rich Sophia. He's allowed to pay people stupid amounts of money." Sophia cannot help but roll her eyes at the remark. She always thought that Joey and her sister were a lot alike, but at the moment, their similarities are not helpful.

"I'm serious. It feels weird. And isn't it also strange that he would tell me to bring something to do with me. I mean, he's paying me to help his son, not read a book in his house all day. _And_ , he gave me the job on the spot and barely asked me any questions. I feel like I didn't do anything to earn it." Bianca is about to retort with a sarcastic comment, but holds it back upon seeing her sister's rising stress.

"Listen Soph. I get that there are few things about this that don't add up, but I think you're worrying too much. Try to forget about the how and the why and think about the money. We _really_ need the money."

"Bee, you know you're the last person on the planet that needs to remind me of that."

"Okay, then just try to think about the money and you'll be fine." Bianca gets up to go to her own bed, but stops to wrap her sister in a hug.

"Try not to worry too much, you're going to do great."

"Thanks Bee." She takes a deep breath, trying to calm herself, as she watches her sister leave. She knows that Bianca is probably right but, as she lays down to go to sleep, she cannot help the rising feeling that she is woefully unprepared for what she has gotten herself into.


End file.
